Motorola Edge 70 Review
Motorola Edge 70 pros and cons
Impressively thin 5.99mm design.
Vibrant 120Hz display with 4,500 nits peak brightness.
Great battery life courtesy of silicon-carbon technology.
Lacks telephoto lens.
Mid-range Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 performance.
The Edge 70 confidently continues a Motorola tradition of blending eye-catching style, exceptional ergonomics, and clean software in a single package.
As the ‘thin phone’ revolution seems to be on the wane after the lofty heights of the iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge - does this ultra-slim, affordable Android handset do it best?
Check out our Motorola Edge 70 review to find out everything you need to know.
Design and specifications
The Edge 70's design provides an immediate positive impression, presenting a gorgeous device which stands out from the crowd.
The phone fully embraces the ultra-thin trend, measuring an astonishingly slim 5.99mm and weighing just 159g - undercutting even the svelte profile of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge in the hand, shaving both 2mm of thickness and 20g of weight off the Edge 60.
The aircraft-grade aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass 7i on the front ensure it survives daily wear and tear. Unsurprisingly for a device this slender, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack to be found, so you will be relying on Bluetooth or USB-C adapter for your audio needs.
However, it does boast seamless dual-SIM functionality through convenient eSIM support alongside a single physical Nano-SIM slot - we've not lost the old ways with this device!
For this review, we lived with the Gadget Grey edition - a subtle choice from the quartet of Pantone-certified colourways available.
While the Lily Pad light green variant offers a pop of colour, Gadget Grey is a masterclass in minimalist and utilitarian tech-chic, featuring a micro-textured, nylon-inspired silicone back panel.
The tactile, plush finish provides excellent grip - a necessity for a phone this thin - and largely resists fingerprint smudges.
Rounding out the options are a deeper Bronze Green, and a super-special white model (image below), complete with Swarovski crystals dotted across the rear, branded ‘Cloud Dancer’.
Designed around the 2026 Pantone Colour of the Year, there’s no doubt that this more ostentatious variant will find appeal amongst the more showy crowd…but they all do a great job in complementing the Edge 70’s slender profile.
The super-flat side view does cut a commanding figure, making it incredibly comfortable to hold for longer periods.
The device offers excellent durability, with Motorola’s Edge 70 also featuring both IP68 and IP69 ratings alongside a MIL-STD-810H certification.
This ruggedness was put to the test during a morning at a local wildlife reserve, where the phone shrugged off the damp morning mist and accidental knocks without a mark.
Display and audio
Those looking for the Edge 70's strengths will also find them in its 6.67-inch pOLED display. With a Super HD resolution of 2712 x 1220 pixels, it offers crisp visuals, vivid colours, and excellent contrast. The fully flat screen supports a silky 120Hz refresh rate, coupled with an up to 300Hz touch sampling rate.
The display reaches a peak brightness of 4,500 nits, ensuring great visibility even in direct sunlight. This was a lifesaver during our outdoor testing; even in the harsh glare, the viewfinder remained crystal clear.
Audio quality complements the experience, with dual stereo speakers utilising Dolby Atmos technology to provide a balanced audio output with a generous amount of clarity for podcasts and video.
Camera capabilities
Photo capture is an area where the Edge 70 makes a few calculated compromises to achieve its diminutive frame. The rear array relies on a simplified dual-camera setup consisting of a 50-megapixel main sensor (Samsung GNJ), paired with a 50-megapixel ultra-wide effort and an LED flash and light sensor.
Capturing photos of deer at a local nature reserve, the Edge 70 rendered the textures of animals' coats with impressive detail and colour science, especially when using the 'Natural' colour preset.
The Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) helped keep shots steady even when we had to move quickly to catch a fleeting moment, and HDR support made for vibrant photos.
However, the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens is a bit of an Achilles' heel for photography lovers. While the iPhone Air similarly sacrifices extra lenses to maintain its figure, Samsung’s S25 Edge manages to pack in better digital zooming capabilities.
The Motorola camera system relies entirely on digital crop for zooming; while the 2x optical-grade crop is usable, trying to zoom in resulted in softer textures.
Conversely, the 50-megapixel selfie camera is a highlight, capturing sharp details and supporting 4K video recording at 30fps - perfect for high-quality vlogging.
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Performance and software
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset, the Edge 70 delivers highly reliable performance. While it won't benchmark quite as high as the A19 Pro chip found in the latest Apple devices, an octa-core chip, paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, ensures seamless power management and fluid multitasking.
Popular gaming titles like Wuthering Waves ran smoothly at medium settings, without major stutters.
The device runs on Android 16, enhanced by Moto AI, with the manufacturer continuing to lean into smart features, integrating AI to optimise background tasks and summarise voice notes.
While the experience is generally snappy, Western buyers will notice pre-installed bloatware out of the box, and the phone lacks a traditional Always-On Display (AOD).
On a positive note, Motorola has pledged four major Android OS upgrades and multiple years of security updates, keeping the device current until 2031.
Battery life and charging
The 4,800mAh silicon-carbon battery is simply a marvel of modern engineering, easily dwarfing the much smaller capacities found in Apple and Samsung's thinnest equivalents - we welcome the benefits brought to such a device in Motorola embracing the latest in battery tech.
The Edge 70 makes a full day of the most committed use a breeze; despite a full day of snapping photos and navigating via GPS, we finished our testing with more than 30% battery remaining.
When the need to charge arises, the Edge 70 supports 15W wireless and up to 68W wired TurboPower charging. Motorola includes a Magnetic Protective Case in the box for seamless charger alignment.
However, the 68W charging adapter is absent from the box, meaning most buyers will need to purchase the wall plug separately to achieve the fastest speeds - but thankfully some of the available offers quickly solve this challenge!
Motorola Edge 70 UK pricing and availability
The Motorola Edge 70's pricing remains its ultimate weapon.
While Apple and Samsung's ultra-thin offerings knock at and blaze well past the four-figure mark respectively, the single 12GB RAM and 512GB Storage variant of the Motorola Edge 70 retails for a much more palatable £700.
Motorola frequently offers as much as a £200 discount on its official UK store for this device, and buyers can currently also select a huge selection of free smart accessories at checkout.
The Moto Buds Loop earbuds, a Watch Fit smartwatch, a Moto tag GPS tracker and the official 68W TurboPower charger - worth a total of £275 - are all packed in at no additional charge.
This combination of a strong price point and a bevy of bargain add-ons continues to impress, delivering a premium, lightweight experience at an incredibly accessible tier.
Final verdict
The Motorola Edge 70 stands as a triumph of ultra-slim design. On the hardware front, it delivers exceptional one-handed comfort, a stunning display, and surprising battery endurance that outlasts many thicker rivals.
Buyers simply need to brace themselves for the telephoto limitations and minor software quirks.
However, if you desire an incredibly thin, durable, and stylish smartphone that can survive a day out in the wild without a portable charger, the Motorola Edge 70 is an outstanding choice.
